Flexible hanging curtains



Nov. 3, 1964 s. SILVESTRE FLEXIBLE HANGING CURTAINS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 50, 1965 INVENTOR. SABINO SILVESTRE ATTORNEVS Nov. 3, '1964 s. SILVESTRE 3,155,150

FLEXIBLE HANGING CURTAINS Filed April so, less 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

SABINO SILVESTRE W WM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,155,150 FLEXBLE HANGING CURTAHIS Sabine Silvestre, Palos 866, Buenos Aires, Argentina Filed Apr. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 276,963 2 Claims. (Cl. 160-348) This invention relates to a device for hanging and gathering slidable curtains.

The device in question is applicable to curtains of the type comprising a flexible fabric or sheet the hanging border of which carries a band provided with holes for the slidable passage of the bar from which the assembly depends.

In this type of curtains each pair of adjacent holes are so arranged that the eyelets reinforcing them are substantially parallel and consequently coaxial, thereby facilitating a smooth sliding along the bar extending therethrough.

In general this relative parallelism is not obtained in practice and the curtains become stuck when it is desired to draw them along the supporting bar.

The device of this invention overcomes this drawback by providing means connecting to each other the pairs of holes which are to be in face-to-face relationship, and also means for connecting in turn the elements connecting the aforesaid pairs of orifices. It this manner, all of the curtain holes will be in face-to-face relationship and approximately coaxial and the connecting means will insure a uniform spacing between the holes, and this in turn means that the curtain gathers will also be regularly spaced from each other.

From a strictly structural point of View, the device is chracterized in that the curtain holes are connected in pairs by a flexible tongue fixed at one end to an eyelet reinforcing the edges of one of the holes of the pair, while the opposite end of said tongue is formed with at least one perforation by means or" which it is connected with a projection carried by the eyelet reinforcing the other hole of the same pair.

Also, the pairs of holes connected by the tongues in turn constitute units which are connected to each other by means of a strip provided with a plurality of holes to be engaged by projections carried on the outer face of the tongues, i.e. the face not opposed to the curtain band.

In this manner, all of the curtain holes will remain mutually connected facing each other and arranged substantially coaxially so as to facilitate the sliding of the eyelets along the supporting bar and at the same time so that all the gathers formed by the curtain will be alike.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practice, one of the preferred embodiments thereof has been schematically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper portion of a curtain to which the device of this invention has been applied;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the means connecting together two adjacent curtain holes;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the curtain is adapted to the supporting bar;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and showing a similar mounting arrangement; and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate different aspects of a modified embodiment of the invention.

The same reference characters are used to indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the device of this invention is applied to a curtain formed by a flexible fabric or sheet 1 having at the hanging edge thereof a reinforcing 3,155,150 Patented Nov. 3, 1964 band 2 formed with a plurality of regularly spaced holes 3, 4, 5, 6 to be engaged by a supporting bar 7.

Said holes are reinforced by circular eyelets 3', 4, 5', 6', respectively, made of metal or plastic material, serving to reinforce the holes and at the same time facilitate the sliding of the curtain along the bar 7.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, as the curtain is mounted on the bar 7, a plurality of gathers will be automatically formed, the mutual spacing of which may vary from a contact between adjacent gathered portions to an extreme separation as indicated in FIG. 4.

The free spacing between gathers brings about difiiculties in drawing the curtain, due to the fact that when the holes are placed too obliquely relative to the bar 7, there will be an excessive friction between the hole eyelets and the bar 7 which will prevent a smooth sliding of the curtain.

The present invention provides means for preventing said excessive friction between the curtain eyelets and the supporting rod, and at the same time improving the appearance of the curtain due to the uniformity of the gathers thereof.

The aforesaid means comprise tongues 8 (FIG. 2) fixed at one end to one of the eyelets, such as 3' reinforcing the hole 3, and having at the opposite free end thereof a plurality of holes 9 arranged to be engaged by a projection 10 fixed to the eyelet 4 corresponding to the curtain hole 4.

In this manner, the pairs of holes 3-4 and 56 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 become connected together, and the same connection is repeated in the remaining pairs of holes in the curtain.

The purpose of the tongues 8 is to provide small projections 11-12 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) for connecting adjacent tongues 8-8 to each other by means of a strip 13 having a plurality of holes 14.

Furthermore, by means of the succession of holes 14 in the strip 13 it is possible to regulate the spacing between the curtain gathers for thus placing the eyelets 3-4 almost coaxially, as shown in FIG. 3, or with a certain obliquity as shown in FIG. 4.

In each case the optimum spacing is given by the relationship between the inner diameter of the circular eyelets 3'-4 and the diameter of the bar 7. It is clear that in the case of FIG. 3 this relationship causes the position of the eyelets to be almost perpendicular to the bar 7, whereas in FIG. 4 where the diameter of the bar is substantially smaller than that of the eyelets, the aforesaid relationship allows a certain obliquity of the latter and hence more open gathers.

In order to make them applicable to different types of curtains, the tongues 8 are provided with more than one projection 11 in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, but a further possibility is shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, wherein the tongue 15 serves the same purpose as the tongue 8 but lacks the fixed projections 11. Instead, and for the same purpose, said tongue 15 is provided with a slidable ring member 16 having a projection 17.

This modified embodiment of the invention is used as follows: Once the tongue 15 (FIG. 5) has been attached to the eyelet 4' by inserting the projection 10 thereof in one of the tongue holes 9, the ring member 16 is moved to a position midway between the eyelets 3' and 4' as shown in full lines and in dash lines in FIG. 6. When in proper position, FIG. 7, it is fixed by pressing the ring 16 which, being metallic, will be deformed and become adapted to the tongue 15 which is preferably made of plastic material. Once the ring 16 has been fixed in the desired position, the projection 17 thereof will serve the same purpose as the projections 11 in the previous embodiment.

The invention as described above will be readily understood by those skilled in the art and requires no further explanation.

It is evident that in carrying the invention into practice, several structural changes and/ or modifications may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as clearly set forth in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A device for hanging and gathering slidable flexible curtains comprising a curtain having an upper band of flexible material having a'roW of aligned spaced eyelets engageable by a supporting bar, a plurality of flexible tongues each for connecting together an adjacent pair of said eyelets in said row, said flexible tongues each having one end fixed to one eyelet of said pair and having the opposite end thereof provided with at least one fastening means, cooperating fastening means provided on the other eyelet in said pair, capable of engaging said first fastening means for connection therewith; at least one further fastening means on the face of each flexible tongue opposite to that facing said band; and a strip member having a plurality of fastening means engaging said further flexible tongue fastening means and connecting said flexible tongues together and holding said pairs of eyelets in face-to-face relation.

2. A device for hanging and gathering slidable flexible curtains comprising a curtain having an upper band of flexible material having a row of aligned spaced eyelets engageable by a supporting bar, a plurality of flexible tongues each for connecting together an adjacent pair of said eyelets in said row, said flexible tongues each having one end fixed to one eyelet in said pair and having the opposite end thereof provided With at least one fastening means, cooperating fastening means provided on the other eyelet in said pair capable of engaging said first fastening means for connection therewith; a ringshaped member slidable along said flexible tongue and having a fastening means thereon; and a strip member having a plurality of fastening means engaging said ringshaped member-fastening means and connecting said flexible tongues together and holding said pairs of eyelets in face-toace relation.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 428,965 Sharp May 27, 1890 1,958,436 less May 15, 1934 1,971,712 Geller Aug. 28, 1934 2,325,056 Hess July 27, 1943 2,686,564 Thorp Aug. 17, 1954 

1. A DEVICE FOR HANGING AND GATHERING SLIDABLE FLEXIBLE CURTAINS COMPRISING A CURTAIN HAVING AN UPPER BAND OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A ROW OF ALIGNED SPACED EYELETS ENGAGEABLE BY A SUPPORTING BAR, A PLURALITY OF FLEXIBLE TONGUES EACH FOR CONNECTING TOGETHER AN ADJACENT PAIR OF SAID EYELETS IN SAID ROW, SAID FLEXIBLE TONGUES EACH HAVING ONE END FIXED TO ONE EYELET OF SAID PAIR AND HAVING THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE FASTENING MEANS, COOPERATING FASTENING MEANS PROVIDED ON THE OTHER EYELET IN SAID PAIR, CAPABLE OF ENGAGING SAID FIRST FASTENING MEANS FOR CONNECTION THEREWITH; AT LEAST ONE FURTHER FASTENING MEANS ON THE FACE OF EACH FLEXIBLE TONGUE OPPOSITE TO THAT FACING SAID BAND; AND A STRIP MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF FASTENING MEANS ENGAGING SAID FURTHER FLEXIBLE TONGUE FASTENING MEANS AND CONNECTING SAID FLEXIBLE TONGUES TOGETHER AND HOLDING SAID PAIRS OF EYELETS IN FACE-TO-FACE RELATION. 